


The Unknown

by vamplover82



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-09-01
Updated: 2008-09-01
Packaged: 2017-10-05 15:17:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vamplover82/pseuds/vamplover82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jamie finds an interesting book.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and con crit. are much appreciated. Written originally as a comment fic over at [](http://community.livejournal.com/whoniverse1000/profile)[**whoniverse1000**](http://community.livejournal.com/whoniverse1000/).

Jamie is getting the hang of reading, finally, and he wants very badly to practice on his own so he can keep improving. To this end, he finds the TARDIS library, intent on finding a book he can practise with. Unfortunately, as Jamie looks over the shelves of books, he realises that most of them are going to be far too complicated for him to read. Titles like _Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry_ convince him of this rather quickly, since he doesn't even understand those few words.

After fifteen minutes of searching, Jamie is about to give up on finding something suitable to read when he sees a slim book tucked in between two thick, dusty tomes. The book has no title, and when he opens it to a page in the middle, Jamie sees hand-printed words on the page. He recognises a number of the words and ends up taking it with him as he goes back to his room.

Opening the book once he gets settled in, Jamie struggles to read the few words on the first page: 'Journal of Steven Taylor'. He eventually realises what the book is and has a momentary attack of conscience about reading someone else's personal thoughts. He decides that it'll probably be all right; he can read a little bit of it and stop if it gets too personal.

As he begins to make his way slowly through the first entry, Jamie gets to a line he didn't expect but most likely should have. _'And then I met the Doctor.'_ Jamie knows that the Doctor must have travelled with others before he came along, but it's still a bit of a shock to have evidence of such. He is intrigued by the chance to read about someone else's experiences with the Doctor, though.

He reads far longer than he should, although he only gets through the first entry in the journal. Still, he is impressed by the man who wrote it. Jamie is quite sure he never would have made it, imprisoned all alone for two years.

He is tired after the work he put into reading, and as Jamie lies down, his last thought before sleep claims him is of Steven.

*****

Jamie continues to get better at reading, and Polly, who has been his primary teacher, is surprised by how quickly he is improving. "You're doing very well, Jamie. Have you been practising?"

"Aye, I found something to read in the library."

Polly looks pleased at this, and Jamie is very glad he put in the extra effort.

Of course, he is glad he put in the effort for other reasons as well. The more he reads of Steven's journal, the more he finds himself interested by the other man. From the outset, Jamie can tell how brave Steven is, and how much he cares about the Doctor and Vicki, the girl they were travelling with.

Jamie finds himself as enthralled with Steven's thoughts about the Doctor, Vicki, and later, Dodo, as he is with the adventures they had together. In a way, he almost feels like he is getting to know Steven through his words, and he thinks that he shouldn't be getting so attached to a man he has never met, but somehow he can't help it.

*****

He realises later, when he is reading further into Steven's journal to inspire confidence in his own abilities after a spectacular failure to be useful to the Doctor in defeating the latest menace and thinking how much he wishes he was more like Steven, that he may just be a little bit in love with someone he'll never meet.


End file.
